Conservation district staff, board members, and partners are invited to attend the 2019 PACD/SCC Winter Meeting January 30-31 at Toftrees Golf Resort in State College, PA. Take in the beautiful winter views at Toftrees while enjoying a hot beverage with your counterparts from across the state. Conference learning opportunities will include an update on Chapter 102 ePermitting and a program on parliamentary procedure. Beat cabin fever and join us in State College! Click here for details and to register.

The 103^rd Pennsylvania Farm Show runs from January 5-12, 2019, in Harrisburg, PA. This year, the conservation districts will share booth space with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Two volunteers are needed for the following shifts:

• Saturday, 1/5 – 8 a.m.­­–12:30 p.m. and 12:30–5 p.m.
• Sunday, 1/6 – 8 a.m.­­–12:30 p.m. and 12:30–5 p.m.
• Monday, 1/7 – 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
• Wednesday, 1/9 – 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
• Thursday, 1/10 – 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
• Friday, 1/11 – 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
• Saturday, 1/12 – 8 a.m.­­–12:30 p.m. and 12:30–5 p.m.

Volunteers receive a free parking pass to the event. Please email PACD Administrative Assistant Jann McNamara at jmcnamara@pacd.org to sign up or for more information.

Please save the date for the 2019 Chesapeake Bay Program Conservation District and PA Agency Staff Meeting. The meeting will be held March 11, 2019 (snow date March 13). The meeting will be held at a new location: Susquehanna University’s Degenstein Center Theater in Selinsgrove, PA. Staff from PA state agencies, USDA-NRCS, conservation districts, and other organizations working within the Chesapeake Bay are invited to attend.

The meeting is sponsored annually by the PA Department of Environmental Protection.

Questions? Contact Amy Salansky at asalansky@pacd.org.

Formal and non-formal educators convened in Harrisburg on September 20, 2018, for The Dive Deeper Summit. The summit is a gathering of youth water educators in the Mid-Atlantic Region that pairs knowledge and resource sharing with networking opportunities.

Shannon Wehinger, PACD Director of Communications and Education, and several conservation district staff attended the summit. Sallie Gregory, Lancaster County Conservation District’s educator, co-presented at the “Kids Keeping Manure Out of Our Water” session. During this session, three activities were conducted based on the draft “Manure Management Planning for Youth Animal Projects” program, which is due to be finalized in June of 2019. The activity booklet is filled with activities to help youth understand PA Department of Environmental Protection regulations.

The summit provided ample opportunities to experience hands-on activities to enhance water education.

Information on the PACD fall region meetings is now available. Please click on the link for the agenda and more information. Topics will include a legislative update, a leadership development update, third party reviews, e-Permitting for Chapters 102 and 105, regional grant applications, a conservation district marketing toolkit, and the PACD budget.

Not sure which region you are in? Click here to find out: https://pacd.org/?page_id=14512

PACD South West Region Meeting
October 4, 2018
Westmoreland Conservation District Office, Greensburg, PA

PACD North Central Region Meeting
October 11, 2018
Clinton County Conservation District Office, Mill Hall, PA

PACD North East Region Meeting
October 12, 2018
DEP Northeast Regional Office, Wilkes Barre, PA

PACD South Central Region Meeting
October 23, 2018
Cumberland County Conservation District Office, Carlisle, PA

PACD North West Region Meeting
October 30, 2018
Jefferson County Conservation District, Brookville, PA

PACD South East Region Meeting
November 1, 2018
Franconia Heritage Banquet & Conference Center, Telford, PA

 

PACD is partnering with the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to facilitate Chapter 102 Fall Regional Sessions. These free sessions are for conservation district and DEP staff.

Click here for the draft agenda. 

Click on the links below to register for the session in your region. Due to limited space, please limit registrations to 3-4 staff per office.

September 25, 2018 (deadline to register is September 14)
Northcentral Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
DEP Northcentral Regional Office, Williamsport, PA

October 2, 2018 (deadline to register is September 21)
Northwest Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
DEP Northwest Regional Office, Meadville, PA

October 3, 2018 (deadline to register is September 22)
Southwest Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
Cranberry Public Library, Franklin Station Room, Cranberry Township, PA

October 16, 2018 (deadline to register is October 5)
Northeast Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
DEP Northeast Regional Office, Wilkes-Barre, PA

October 30, 2018 (deadline to register is October 19)
Southeast Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
DEP Southeast Regional Office, Norristown, PA

November 6, 2018 (deadline to register is October 26)
Southcentral Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
DEP Southcentral Regional Office, Harrisburg, PA

Contact Shannon Wehinger swehinger@pacd.org with questions.

The 2018 Conservation District Watershed Specialist Meeting will take place at Toftrees Golf Resort in State College, PA, on October 9-11 for newer watershed specialists and October 10-11 for the full group. Special training for newer watershed specialists will take place on October 9.

Highlights from this year’s agenda include macroinvertebrate training by the Stroud Water Research Center, hands-on training with PAOneStop and the Web Soil Survey, an update on invasive species, and much more.

Registration is open to conservation district watershed specialists and invited guests. The deadline to register is Monday, October 1. Click here for more information and to register for the meeting.

 

Ag Progress Days, Pennsylvania’s largest outdoor agricultural exposition was held August 14-16, 2018, at The Pennsylvania State University’s Research Farms in Rock Springs. Despite the rain and mud on Tuesday, PACD and conservation districts from Centre, Union, Dauphin, Bradford, Huntingdon, and Bedford counties met hundreds of landowners and farmers to discuss local conservation during the three day event.

A BIG thank you goes out to all who volunteered for this great networking experience!

The PACD/SCC Winter Meeting will be held January 30-31, 2019 at the Toftrees Golf Resort, State College, PA. Stay tuned for more information about the meeting.

Representatives from the northeastern United States traveled to the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel in Lancaster for the National Association of Conservation District’s (NACD) Northeast Regional Meeting. Conservation leaders from these states met for educational programs, tours, and networking.

“It is exiting to host a meeting that brings our counterparts from other northeastern states together. This week, we were able to showcase some of Pennsylvania’s conservation district projects via tours and educational sessions. Attendees learned about the Dirt, Gravel, and Low Volume Road Program which helps decrease pollution from unpaved roads and is unique to Pennsylvania. They visited a plain sect farm where they saw how the Lancaster County Conservation District helped the farmer control pollution. They participated in a stormwater tour by LandStudies, Inc. which shows work being done in our communities to reduce flooding. Finally, visitors had the opportunity to visit Stroud Water Research Center and learn about research they are conducting to ensure we have enough clean water for future generations,” said Brenda Shambaugh, PACD Executive Director. “Our conservation districts work hard every day to make a difference in our communities.”

After saying goodbye to our collegues from other states, the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. (PACD) and the State Conservation Commission held their 71^th Joint Annual Conference. Several Pennsylvania conservationists were recognized at an awards luncheon on July 18.

The 2018 PACD honorees are as follows: 

• Legislator Leadership Award – Senator John H. Eichelberger, Jr. (PA 30th District)
• President’s Award – Pat Sueck
• Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director Excellence Award – Jay Snyder (Lancaster County)
• Conservation District Employee Excellence Award – Renee Swineford (Snyder County)
• Conservation District Employee Service Recognition Program Awards

40 Years of Service

• Craig Bingman, Manager, Snyder County
• Years of Service
• Carl Goshorn, Manager, Cumberland County
• James Pillsbury, Hydraulic Engineer, Westmoreland County
• Tammie Robinson, Administrative Assistant, Indiana County
• Lorelle Steach, PA Envirothon Coordinator, Bedford County

Click here to read the entire press release and here to see photos from the event.